Ah, yes, we had to study different religions in the 7th grade. I don't really remember much of it, but I was talking to my friend the other day and he said that in their English class they have questions like "Who was the first man?" "Who was Jesus Christ" "Who created the world?" and things like that. Now, I guess that students created these, but isn't that still against codes in America? Especially if someone replies to them against the Christian belief (which these obviously are) and are criticized for it.

Well, see they will say that...but not put it into efect. For example, at my school we are recquired by law to be given a moment of silence in the beginning of the day to pray,meditate, or whatever. Seems pretty all-encompassing there eh?

Well I find it funny that once the moment is on, the next words you hear are:

"Fellowship of Christian Athletes will be having a meeting this week. Come for pizza, drinks, and the celebration of Jesus!"

Yet never have I heard:

"Fellowship of Kiss-My-Ass-I-Don't-Have-A-Religion-I-Just-Like-To-Chill Athletes will be having a meeting this week. COme to do exactly what all the Christian kids do, except we don't give a dam who you celebrate because we just want to chill!"

Ah, the moment of silence- we're stuck with that too. I'm Christian, but I'm very cynical about the whole belief system and I basically twisted it slightly. ((No offense to anyone)) Sometimes the really religious kids at my school tend to bug me though. I'm perfectly fine with the Bible club and even "Jesus Week" is fine, but for some reason I was kinda mad that when "The Passion" came out the entire school was literally COVERED in movie posters. It's a movie, they didn't do that with any other major movie that came out, why that one? They didn't even like have a group going to the movies or anything they just hung a bunch of posters up.

Originally posted by NightGloom
Ah, the moment of silence- we're stuck with that too. I'm Christian, but I'm very cynical about the whole belief system and I basically twisted it slightly. ((No offense to anyone)) Sometimes the really religious kids at my school tend to bug me though. I'm perfectly fine with the Bible club and even "Jesus Week" is fine, but for some reason I was kinda mad that when "The Passion" came out the entire school was literally COVERED in movie posters. It's a movie, they didn't do that with any other major movie that came out, why that one? They didn't even like have a group going to the movies or anything they just hung a bunch of posters up.

Ahh! I agree my friend! With all the hubbub about the movie and all of the bickering over the movie, seriously people, the issues have been there for thousands of years. They make it seem like he wrote it...mad eup the story. Jeez, its only been written down in a friggin book for oh say a couple hundred years.

But yeah, I have no problem with people doing their religious thing. If it suits them, go for it. But when they start getting into my own thing and basically telling me that I'm going to hell because I don't give myself to this Jesus or that Dogma, it starts to get a little, shall we say, tense?

It's not even the first movie made about that subject. I saw the movie. Yes, it was very well done and very moving, but I don't think it was truely powerful enough to change someone's religious beliefs, which is what I think some of the Bible club kids' intentions were. Now, I'm not saying all of them, but from personal experience I know a few that do basically grill you on religion. I'm very mad at some of them because I have friends of a different religion and they basically said that my little group of friends and I are going to hell because they don't believe in the Christian faith and I'm going to hell because I associate with them. No, none of them are Satanists.

I've had alot of friends seriosuly disown me because I wouldn't join them.

What god would do that? Harden someone's heart so that they would turn away from their most beloved friends?

Their lovers?

Yeah, one of the greatest loves I had was actually told by his minister that those who do not accept Jesus will not go to heaven, and by associating with me without trying to show me Jesus and bring me to the church, he would not be worthy either.

Well, lets just say we haven't talked in a while.

I come from Denmark, i go in the ninth and we have alot of diff. people from diff. religions come and tell about their religion.
If we should teach religion in school then we should have the bad sides of religion as well as the good sides.

We were taught religions of the world in elemntary school, junior high, high school. It was usually a part of social studies classes. We never had a class soley dedicated to it, but we had several weeks of studies, pretty indepth, of world religions.

They even taught evolution too.

Most of the schools i went to had a heavy seperation of church and state. The way religion was taught was pretty non biased and matter of fact. It didnt increase my tolerance for religion any, however. During my childhood I was a very serious and devout protestant. I learned about other religions, "false gods".

When I decided religion was stupid, My tolerance for other peoples religions didnt increase any. I still thought this whole menangerie of gods and spooks people pray to silly.

I dont think it will increase tolerance, but certainly will inform people of just how silly humanity remains, even in the 21st century.